Kindling the Flames
by tipsytuna
Summary: When Giotto sealed the rings, he did it out of distrust for his future heirs. In order to return to future, the successor of his true will, Tsuna, has to prove the Primo's distrust was well founded. TYL, Hints of 0027.


Warnings: language, mentions of death, inaccurate portrayal of mafia and culture

Notes: Slow updates, and possible future hints of 0027 but not central to the story.

Disclaimer: Don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

x X x

"Isn't this a surprise? I thought they were joking when they said it was _you_ waiting at reception!" exclaimed the man that sat behind the desk that centered the room. A modern looking glass top that looked out of place in between the assortment of ornamental swords that lined the walls, the guest observed. No doubt chosen for its practicality in the man's line of work rather than its aesthetic. You couldn't draw a gun under the table without the man knowing. "Oh, but where are my manners?" the man asked, rising up from his chair. "Come in, come in, and take a seat why don't you," he said beckoning his guest towards the leather back seat in front of him.

As his guest made his way across the room and waved his guard to stay outside the door – a sign of trust if there was any in the mafia - the man babbled on, "If I had known you were coming-",

Cutting himself off, the man turned around to the gangly, red haired subordinate standing by his side with hands held behind his back, and hastily whispered, "-which reminds me Philip, how was I not informed of this ahead of time! You're the head of my intelligence division! What is it that I pay you for Philip?"

To which his subordinate, Philip, replied, "Arrangements were fairly last minute according to our sources and considering the person in question..." he paused as if to weigh his words before continuing, "...we wished to verify the validity of the report before presenting our findings to you, boss. Unfortunately we were unable to confirm it before his arrival." Then added duly, "And you don't pay me, sir." If he was dissatisfied with the fact however, it was well hidden underneath his unchanging façade of polite attentiveness.

"You should have reported to me regardless, especially in matters regarding _this _Famiglia!" the boss hissed.

"My mistake, boss."

The boss sighed before regaining his composer, running a hand down to straighten his tie and smooth out the imaginary wrinkles on his pressed suit. "A mistake," he repeated. "Of course, of course, I understand," he said nodding his head agreeably. "Mistakes, accidents, can't help having them every now and then. But there comes a point when..." He smiled. "...well, you remember your brother don't you Philip?"

"Yes, boss," replied Philip as unmoved as ever.

"If I recall correctly, he used to have them all the time until that tragic _mistake_ he made during his boating trip at Venice. I forgot how that went. Would you care to remind me, Philip?" queried the boss, tone taking a particularly vicious edge.

"Rented a boat to go fishing in the canals, tried to set up his line but ended up 'mistakenly' tying up both his arms and legs in the process which led to his drowning approximately two hours later when he 'mistook' a bag of cement for a large fish," Philip recounted apathetically.

"We never did find the fishing pole or the boat did we?"

'_Then those weren't mistakes at all!' _thought their guest who had taken his seat sometime between the boss's reprimanding of his subordinate and was now busying himself by pretending to sort through the paperwork he brought, unable to work up the courage to interrupt. He wanted to avoid angering the boss if he could help it. The man was twice his size and probably had more muscle in his left pinky than the guest did in his entire arm! Not to mention that sword-! The guest had to force his eyes back to his paperwork from where they strayed over the boss's shoulder where the sword, that was _also_ twice his size, was propped up against the chair.

"No we did not, boss," answered Philip nonplussed.

"Pity, a waste of investments," the boss tittered.

"A real shame," Philip nodded along.

"Well, remember that for the next time you make another one of your mistakes," the boss finished as he redirected his attention back to their guest. "Now where were we?" he asked, coughing to clear his throat as he settled himself back onto his own seat.

"If you had known he was coming," prompted Philip, the ever reliable – yet questionably loyal? – subordinate.

"If I had known you were coming," the boss began again, "I would have prepared more appropriate accommodations fitting for your arrival. Something traditional of course," he assured, "We're not like certain upstart famiglias that have been popping up left and right. Know nothing about respect!" spat the boss. "Think they can disobey the Pacts, ignore the territory agreements," he rattled on, the rise of the new famiglias something of a sore subject for him - the Ascia Family in particular who had attempted encroaching on his Family's territory from the west.

They had been dealt with of course. Between the boss' famiglia, the Spada renown for their mastery of the sword - and having given birth to every Sword Emperor until Superbi Squalo - and the assistance of the strongest famiglia, the Vongola, the Ascia Family hadn't stood a chance. Crumbled in a matter of hours in fact with little to no losses on the side of the Spada. All in all, a minor gang war. Nothing that didn't happen every other day in mafia world but it was the principle of the matter, the impudence, that got him.

"The mafia might be lawless, but there are still _rules_".

"I'd expect nothing less from the Spada Family," consoled the guest, speaking up for the first time since his arrival. "But hardly necessary," he added before the Spada boss got any ideas.

"Not one for celebration?"

"Not one for formalities on my behalf," corrected the guest. Especially when said 'formalities' could only end up in one of two ways in the mafia world: with somebody dead or somebody in so much debt they might as well be.

The Spada boss leaned back on his chair with an easy grin. "Then how should I receive one such as yourself," he asked humoring his guest.

"I was rather hoping you'd receive me as you would any other guest," said the guest, smiling in turn.

A laugh. "Nonsense, if you had been any other guest we'd have gunned you down at the doorstep!" shot back the Spada boss all too cheerfully.

The guest's smile stiffened at the ends. "G-gunned down?" He echoed shallowly.

The other nodded, "Standard protocol, you see, for anyone who doesn't have an appointment - what with the recent spring of 'mistakes' and 'accidents' going about," he explained as if it was only the reasonable solution. 'Mistakes' and 'accidents' being mafia language for anything from 'misfired' bullets to equally lethal part-boating, part fishing trips that had neither boat nor fishing equipment. "You can never be too careful."

Although the guest thought the logic was questionable at best, he had long since given up trying to make sense of the ways of the mafia and accepted the reasoning for what it was. "Of course, my apologies for inconveniencing you then, Don Alfeo Spada," the guest amended.

"Alfeo, please," the Spada boss insisted, "and you should already know there is no such thing as inconveniences when it comes to you."

The guest simply nodded his acknowledgment.

Then he decided to change the pace up, his easy expression hardening. "Then I suppose you should have no trouble explaining the case of the missing shipments."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," denied the Spada boss automatically after a beat. A reflexive denial more than anything, a habit many a mafioso picked up if they lasted more than a month in the mafia world. It was an unsaid rule of thumb, to deny, deny, and keep denying if it could get you out of trouble and you could get away with it. And even in the case you couldn't, it wouldn't hurt to try anyways because by that point, being caught up in your own lie should be the least of your worries.

Unfortunately for the Spada boss, he was of the latter. "Let's not play this game," said the guest, cutting to the chase.

The Spada boss tensed as if struck, the guest inwardly wondered if his home tutor had succeeded in eliminating his survival instincts after all, and Philip remained as expressive as a gargoyle. It was five long seconds of _'Hiiiiiieeee!I'msorry!Itakeitback!Itakeitback!'_ running through the guest's head before the Spada boss' expression cleared again. "My, you don't waste time do you?" the Spada boss asked with a stiff smile, knuckles whitening from where they were clasped together over the desk, "Straight to business then?"

The guest had to stifle a sigh of relief; the Spada boss hadn't pulled out a gun – or sword in this case – yet which was always a good sign. "I'm short on time." And he knew intuitively that the Spada boss would only run circles around the topic if allowed.

"I'd imagine so what with you being the Boss of all Bosses" replied the Spada boss with a light chuckle, quickly regaining his earlier vigor like only a true and dirty Mafioso could. "But to warrant the personal attention of you, the Vongola Decimo himself..." Spada trailed off.

"It's nothing too serious," Tsuna assured. Things would only get messy if Spada thought he was backed in a corner and panicked. "I just like taking a hands-on approach when it comes to dealing with Family business."

Which was a lie, of course. One of many he had to make up in order to explain away his Family's 'eccentricities', a skill he was fairly proficient at now after having been involved with the mafia for nearly ten years. Two to nine of those years (depending on who you asked) spent being an unwilling-mafia-boss-in-training-with-the-most-hellish-tutor-on-earth and the rest being an unwilling mafia boss with the most hellish-to-have-under-you-assassin-on-earth assassin serving under him.

The truth of the matter wasn't nearly as impressive on Tsuna's part. There was a least a dozen other things he rather be doing than 'dealing with Family business' and as for his Family and why he was there instead of them... Everyone was either thoroughly occupied, irreconcilably incompatible (Hibari and Mukuro –wait scratch that, Hibari with anyone), or unrepentantly disobedient (Reborn made it abundantly clear where Tsuna could go and shove even the simplest of orders) – and most likely some combination of the three if they weren't Chrome or Yamamoto who had actually come with him – and, well, Reborn had asked. And if Reborn said jump, you fucking flew.

But as with most things mafia related, some things were better left off unsaid.

"Quite the dedication for your family, no wonder you were considered the best candidate for the Tenth boss. I thought for sure, the Ninth would have picked the heir among one of his sons."

"There were incidents," conceded Tsuna - which left Tsuna as the best candidate by default seeing as he was the _only _candidate.

"I always wondered what happened to the other three," said the Spada boss. "But I would hardly call defeating Xanxus a mere incident."

"Heard of that, did you?" asked Tsuna. For all the drama it caused for Tsuna and the Vongola Family, it barely made a blip in the mafia gossip grapevine and was only slightly more known than the fate of the Ninth's three sons. Keeping Family Business in the Family as it were. It wasn't exactly common knowledge, but if you were a member of the Vongola Family - and not just the alliance, the Chiavarone and the Arcobaleno were the exceptions -, chances were you probably found out one way or another. You also found the same way or the hard way to never bring the subject up where the Varia boss could hear you.

"I've got ears here and there," admitted the Spada boss unabashedly. Spies then, most likely in the lower echelon of the Vongola Family. Yet another example of a socially questionable, but entirely too common mafioso practice.

"I always thought Ferro was a little too good with a blade," commented Tsuna thinking of the new house servant that had been recently hired to maintain the Namimori headquarters and was a little too stiff shouldered around his Guardians even compared to the regular servants who'd felt Hibari's or Gokudera's (indirect) wrath first hand.

"Not much good for spy work is he?"

"Not much," agreed Tsuna. Although very handy when it came to clean-up duties after a visit from his Cloud Guardian. "But back to the topic."

"Right," the Spada boss chuckled, nervous. Understandably so as a men had died for less in his line of work. "Well, what I said before wasn't entirely untrue. There really isn't much that I do know about the issue, only that some items went missing during transit and they should have passed through my Family's territory. I had my intelligence investigate it as soon as we discovered it but all they found were dead ends.

"I've looked through your reports Family's reports myself and failed to see any mentions of the investigation or that certain items were misplaced," said Tsuna pulling out a copy of the reports in question from the folder he brought along and placed them on the desk - status reports dating up to three months back used by the Vongola Family to keep tabs on its allied families, usually for sorting the distribution of funds and support, occasionally for noting any discrepancies as was the case this time.

"Another mistake on my Intelligence Division's part," dismissed the Spada boss, relaxing a little as he found somewhere to push the blame to, only sparing a cursory glance over the reports. He had seen them all when they were first being submitted. Then reluctantly admitted, "They convinced me the missing articles in question were...insignificant, not worth troubling the Head Family with, small firearms to be pawned off to the government. Easily reimbursable, or so I had thought. Seeing as your here though, I'm guessing that's not the case."

Tsuna ignored the ignored the implied question, of what exactly were the contents of the shipment, and pressed, "And you are sure that is all you know?

"Everything."

Tsuna sighed regretfully, intuition confirming what Hibari own investigative reports. Spada was lying and there was a traitor among Tsuna's core family members indicated by the fact that Spada knew to target those specific shipments at all – box weapons and Shouichi's time-space distortion device which only the highest ranking of the Vongola should know existed - whether he knew what it was he took or not.

By now, the shipment had probably already made its way into the hands of the Fuoco Family, used as a token to solidify the Spada Family's alliance with the Fuoco which could only spell more trouble for the Vongola.

All together, the Spada's treachery was an unsurprising development. Defectors from the alliance were becoming more and more common as of late with the rise of the Fuoco Family, a Famiglia older than the Vongola Family itself that had declared openly its intentions to steal the Vongola rings, and while not nearly as powerful, more than made up for the difference in strength with the sheer number of famiglias it allied itself with. Some famiglias less than willingly recruited through blackmail and extortion, others dissatisfied with Tsuna's –and by extension the Vongola's - comparatively soft-handed approach to meting out mafia justice and looking for chance to take the Vongola down a notch.

It appeared Spada still held a grudge over the Ascia Family's seeming lack of punishment, a task the Vongola charged themselves with overseeing as a conditional term for lending aid to the Spada in taking the Ascia down. Not that they had not suffered from the loss, the Vongola all but took over the famiglia, incorporating it into its own while the leaders were carted off to the Venidicare Prison, but Spada had wanted more. He had demanded blood, the slaughter of every member of the Ascia Family to prove a point and make it a sign for what happened when you defied the old families, a mafia traditionalist in the purest sense. But the Vongola had not delivered.

"You should already know there's no point in lying to me," pointed out Tsuna, noting the light pressure of his X-Gloves in his pockets, ready to draw them in the case he'd pushed Spada too far.

"Ah yes, how could I forget, the infamous Vongola Intuition," acknowledged Spada, barely keeping himself from drawing his own sword at his back, only withholding doing so because even fools knew: one to one – even one hundred to one – you did not fight with the Vongola Decimo. Not while he had those so-called Dying Will Pills at least, if his source was to be trusted. No, if you wanted to take out the Vongola boss, you first had to hit him where it hurts, his greatest weakness...

"And how the alliance deals with traitors..." Tsuna threatened. The alliance, not the Vongola, there was a difference. While the Vongola itself might have been 'going soft', those that it called themselves its allies hadn't changed at all from the 'old ways' of mafia cruelty if the Spada Family was any example.

Spada was silent.

"However, I'm willing to give you an out," offered Tsuna. "Tell me where the device and the box weapons are and your transgressions will be considered nonexistent."

Spada abruptly barked a laugh, a cool harsh sound. "Much too soft, does anyone tell you that?"

"You wouldn't be the first," admitted Tsuna. Mukuro, Hibari, Reborn, sometimes even Enma...

"Are you certain?" Spada couldn't help but ask in mild disbelief.

"I wouldn't have offered otherwise."

"Considering the circumstances, I was expecting more...'ramifications', shall we say?" said Spada, keeping a careful eye on the Vongola boss, searching his expression for any sign of deceit.

"I have less reason to deal with you than I do my own Mist Guardian," reasoned Tsuna, and compared to Mukuro, Spada was an absolute saint.

Which was one of the seven mysteries of the mafia world, why the Decimo was ever willing to trust that man by his side. "No strings attached?" confirmed Spada.

Tsuna shook his head, "None. Except I can't say my intelligence won't be keeping a closer eye on you from now on."

"Only to be expected," nodded Spada absently before asking, "And if my Family or I get targeted in retaliation?"

"The Fuoco know you're under the protection of the alliance. They won't try anything." As of yet, the tensions between the Fuoco Alliance and the Vongola Alliance had yet to result in open conflict, neither willing to start a fight with one being just as powerful as the other. Best case scenario, they'd reach a stalemate early on. Worst case, both Families faced mutual destruction and would be overrun by the unallied Families who'd been waiting for just that opportunity.

"Someday that softness will get you in trouble," warned Spada but his tone was congenial, the danger of conflict seemingly passed, "but I guess you could say that is your charm." Offhandedly, he gestured to his subordinate, "Fetch us some drinks if you would, Philip."

"Of course, sir," said Philip with a quick bow before he shuffled off to the wine cabinet at the back corner of the room.

Tsuna interjected, embarrassed, also relaxing to more like himself now that Spada appeared willing to cooperate, "I'm sorry but I don't drink." Not after what happened on his seventeenth birthday. Tsuna would never be able to see his pineapple-haired guardian, Leon, a Corpse Reviver cocktail*, and a pair of Lussuria's sweaty knee pads in the same room in the same light again. A more common occurrence than Tsuna would like to admit and just once in a life time was enough.

"Come now, just one wouldn't hurt," cajoled Spada as Philip came back with thin stemmed cups of some aged wine Tsuna could only guess the name of, and set them on the table. "Consider it celebration for the renewed alliance between the Spada and Vongola," he said as he reached for his own glass.

Fingering the stem Tsuna began, "I suppose..." He didn't sense Mukuro and Reborn, therefore his green chameleon companion, should be miles away at the moment but...but he stopped himself when he felt the flare of his Intuition. Spada was not so willing to cooperate after all.

"They're here boss," stated Philip and Tsuna had to wonder, 'Who's here?'

"I insist," cut in Spada his declaration in time with another pulse of Tsuna's Intuition.

"Spada, you-"

"I also insist you put those pills of yours on the table, right where I can see them." At Tsuna's glare Spada smiled, not kindly, "I did say someday your softness will get you in trouble. I didn't say not today." Philip in sync with his boss and proving his loyalty was already making his way between Tsuna and the door behind him, drawing out a shield from his box weapon, the characteristic weapon of choice for his own Famiglia, the Usbergo Family. Sworn in service to the Spada Family since its third generation if Tsuna recalled correctly before he shook himself. Better focus.

"And if I don't?" A short yell from outside the door answered him.

"Yamamoto!" Tsuna made to stand up but was pushed back in his seat by a bruising grip on his shoulder. It was the Spada boss' subordinate, Philip, positioned to prevent his escape and any attempts at fighting back on Tsuna's part.

And there it was, Spada thought, the Decimo's greatest weakness: his Family. There were not many bosses who would risk their own life for a lowly subordinate, but of those who would, the Vongola Decimo was one of them - which to Spada, was all the more reason the Decimo needed to die. With no understanding of the necessity of sacrifice or true power, it was only a matter of time before the Vongola and those within its alliance would crumble under the Vongola Decimo, dragged down by his naive compassion.

"I don't believe you need me to elaborate on that."

Left with little choice, Tsuna grudgingly reached for his inner suit pocket, drew out his Dying Will Pills and set them on the table. He looked up at Spada expectantly, "My partner?"

"You forgot my other request," Spada addressed instead. "You might be useless without those Dying Will Pills," which was another thing Spada shouldn't know about, few knew the fact that Tsuna used the pills to activate his Dying Will, "but I'd like to err on the side of caution considering who you are. So please, drink up." Tsuna eyed the glass' contents worriedly, and as if reading his thoughts, Spada explained " A mild sedative, enough to keep you knocked out till we deliver you to the Fuoco Family."

"And what guarantee will I have that Yamamoto will be safe?" asked Tsuna looking up from the glass, trying to ignore the sounds of swords clashing and the wet swish of blades hitting their mark.

"Your Rain Guardian I presume," Spada asked. "It's a bit late to try and negotiate that," he said waving towards where Tsuna had placed down his case of pills. Well within arm's reach but even then, without his Dying Will state Tsuna wouldn't be able to reach for them before Spada drew his sword and cleaved him in half. "How about this, why don't you tell me what your Intuition tells you?"

What did Tsuna's Intuition tell him? Tsuna concentrated and looked into Spada's eyes, frowning grimly. It told him..."You'd kill Yamamoto no matter what I do."

"That Intuition of yours really is no joke!" exclaimed Spada impressed.

"But," Tsuna continued on, when he heard the noise behind him began to subside, "my Intuition also tells me that Yamamoto more of a dependable guy than that."

"What-"

The door behind Tsuna burst open, flying off its hinges and ramming into Spada's subordinate head on, both landing inches away from where Tsuna sat. "Sorry I made you wait, Tsuna!"

"Yamamoto," Tsuna smiled relieved, standing up and turning around to see his Guardian. It was one thing knowing his friend should be all right, but it was another however to see it for himself. "You had me worried there." When he heard Yamamoto's scream, Tsuna had assumed the worst.

Yamamoto carded a hand through his hair with his non-bloodied hand and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry! I got caught off guard and ended up letting them score a yuko-datotsu on me," lifting his right shoulder a little to emphasize the deep gash that ran through his upper right arm and stained the whole limb and the hilt of his sword red. Then his eyes narrowed as he continued on more seriously, "But it looks like Spada wasn't the only traitors. The Giegue were in on it too," said Yamamoto moving to the side and jerking a thumb back towards one of the said dead-faced assassins knocked out in the room behind, which explained how Yamamoto got caught off guard in the first place.

It took nothing short of a small army or some very skilled assassin's to even touch one of Tsuna's Guardians – and as Tsuna looked closer, there were indeed a hundred or so of Spada's men with a few more assassins from the Giegue. Spada must have called them as soon as he'd heard of Tsuna's arrival and dragged out the conversation in order to buy time for the Giegue to come.

"Useless wrecks, the whole lot of them," muttered Spada from behind. A metallic grinding sound and then, "Guess if I want to get the job done, I've got to do it myself," the huge broadsword that had once rested against the back of the Spada boss' chair was now held under Tsuna's chin. Spada looked to Tsuna's Rain Guardian, "Well, what are you waiting for? Drop your sword!"

Yamamoto merely held his grin and kept his grip on his katana.

"You can still surrender, Spada. It's not too late," said Tsuna, voice unwavering even as a blade began cut into the flesh of under his chin and forced his head back, several droplets of blood running down the edge.

Spada's eyes widened incredulously, "You take me for a fool? Any second now more of my men will be pouring through that door right there and I've got you right where I want you!"

"Looks like you're supposed to take that as a 'No', huh Tsuna?"

"Looks like it," agreed Tsuna, an orange flame igniting on his forehead. Using one hand, he grabbed the sword and held it still and used his other arm to deliver a swift elbow to the chest. He was rewarded with a choked cough. A second blow and Spada was forced to let go of his sword, clenching at his chest. Tsuna didn't even need his gloves.

Tsuna turned around, approaching Spada as he tossed the sword to the side.

"How? They told me-," he managed to gasp out before Tsuna propelled himself forward with one foot and knocked him out in short order, a light chop to Spada's pressure point between his ear and spine. Tsuna caught the other boss as he slumped over unconscious, setting him down on the guest chair.

It was another moment before Tsuna determined the threat was gone and let go of his Dying Will.

It was a bit of unknown secret – as in what everyone who didn't know Tsuna had already assumed was the truth but those who knew him better thought false – that Tsuna didn't actually need the pills or a bullet to activate his Dying Will. Not anymore at least. The only ones that both knew him and the fact were Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Reborn who had ordered him to keep the fact under wraps in the first place - which, by virtue of them knowing, also crossed them off the list of suspects for betrayal. Though, Tsuna hadn't seriously suspected them anyways.

With nothing left to do, what with everyone in the Spada base knocked out of commission, Tsuna turned to the exit and called out, "We're done here. Let's go, Yamamoto." Their side of the mission completed, it was time to return to HQ in Namimori. The rest was up to Hibari's division of the family.

"Ha ha, on it boss!" said Yamamoto with a mock salute of his good arm, the bleeding of his other stopped for the moment, having already been wrapped by himself with a cutoff strip of his own suit while Tsuna had dealt with the broadsword wielder. Tsuna didn't like it, but it would have to make due till they made it back to the car where a stash of first aid supplies were stowed away in the glove compartment.

As Tsuna walked out the Spada Mansion he pulled out his cell, speed dialing the Disciplinary Council for clean up – still existing even long after every one of the members had graduated. They would be in charge of rounding up all the (unconscious) bodies and deal with the 'disciplinary action' as they liked to call it. Though personally, Tsuna thought it would be more truthful calling it 'handing them over to Hibari to be arbitrarily beaten on and maybe interrogated along the way'. But Tsuna never argued the details. Not when doing so would mean arguing with Head of the Disciplinary Council, Hibari himself. Just thinking about it made shivers run down Tsuna spine.

The Council's operator picked up, "Done?" They asked, quick and to the point.

"Done," answered Tsuna equally succinct, used to the operator's almost mechanical efficiency.

"Nine minutes," replied the operator shortly before they hung up, meaning nine minutes for the Disciplinary Council not only to get here, but to finish clean up. The Council was scarily proficient like that. Although having Hibari for a boss probably helped.

Finished with the call, Tsuna stowed his phone away only to have pull it out moments later. It rung. Once. Twice. Had he forgot to mention something? But no it wasn't from the Displinary Council. He looked at the caller ID: [Unknown Number]. Who? An onset of headache coming on, not unlike a warning from his Intuition, he answered it, "Hello?"

"Dame-Tsuna."

"Reborn!" Tsuna cried out, he should have known.

"I take it, the mission went well?" asked Reborn. As if he didn't know.

"The Giegue were here as well," said Tsuna without elaborating. He didn't need to. Reborn could connect the dots himself.

"I suspected as much," replied Reborn unsurprised as expected. "Spada wouldn't have acted so confidently without some internal backing and the Giegue has had it in for the Vongola ever since the Cold Earth Affair."

"Cold Earth?" It took Tsuna a moment to recall the details of the incident. Nine years ago while he was still in high school. The interrupted Inheritance Ceremony. Where they had almost lost Yamamoto. Daemon. When Tsuna had met the friend he could relate to the most and had nearly been killed by that very same friend – though they'd made up soon after.

But nothing Tsuna could remember involving the Giegue. Unless... "They were one of the famiglias caught in the crossfire between us and the Shimon?" Now that Tsuna thought about it, there had been mentions of a famiglia that had attempted to root out the unknown – at the time – enemy as a gift for Tsuna's inheritance ceremony. But seeing as the Shimon intentions weren't discovered until it was too late, the Giegue had obviously failed and suffered for it.

"Three of their best were killed. When they found out the Shimon remained unpunished for their actions after the Cold Earth Affair, they went to Nono demanding retribution. Nono only managed to delay a break down of relations by passing the decision on to you for when you finally became the Decimo," explained Reborn. "You should know how it went from there."

And when Tsuna had become officially recognizes as the Decimo, he decided to officially annul any past grievances with the Shimon Family, unintentionally provoking the Giegue to action after all these years. "I see." Similar to the Spada then.

"Anything else of interest?" asked Reborn, moving the topic along.

Tsuna grinned, "I think you already have the answer to that too."

And Tsuna could practically see the answering smirk on Reborn's face, "I do."

"Then we'll discuss it later," said Tsuna. If there really was a traitor within his Family, there was a high chance that one of their phones were bugged, and it was best to save discussion on the matter for in person.

"By the way, how did you find out so fast, about the mission and everything?" asked Tsuna switching to a lighter subject. Even ten years later, Tsuna still had to wonder what made up Reborn's intelligence network.

"Didn't I already tell you? That's what my insect spies are for," and as is if on cue, Tsuna heard a cricket chirp from his right shoulder. He slowly turned around. A small brown bug with long antennas looking him right in the eye, "Crick." Tsuna yelped, "Hiiee!" and swatted it off with his free hand. He thought that Reborn was joking when he'd first said that.

"Oi, are you all right Tsuna?" asked Yamamoto concerned.

"Yeah it was nothing! Nothing!" waved off Tsuna embarrassed, "Just talking to Reborn."

"Really? Ah, that explains it. Can you tell him I said 'Hi'?'"

Before Tsuna got the chance however, a hologram of Reborn popped out of the phone, causing Tsuna to almost drop it in surprise. He knew he should have suspected something when his phone went missing and it was Giannini of all people who returned it. "Unnecessary, especially when we can talk like this," said Reborn's hologram before turning to glare at Tsuna, "And Tsuna?"

"Yes, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, feeling a chill crawl down his spine.

"I suggest you don't go around swatting my subordinates."

Tsuna gulped and stuttered out, "Y-yes, Reborn!"

Satisfied with his ex-students cowardly acquiescence, he turned to the other man, "And hello to you too, Yamamoto."

"Awesome! These mafia toys keep getting cooler each year! What do you think, Tsuna? Should I get one for my little cousin next month?"

Considering the technology wasn't even available in the open market, let alone developed in the military yet... "I don't think that would be the best idea," said Tsuna slowly as they made their way down houses front steps.

"Ha ha, you're right. There's probably some sort of age limit for this sort of toy," agreed Yamamoto completely missing the point. Then he remembered Reborn, "But Reborn why'd you call? I heard you'd be out on some business for awhile."

Funny, Tsuna had heard that too. He also heard Reborn would be out of contact for a month, infiltrating one of Fuoco Family's allies. Had he been discovered? It was unlikely, but possible. Reborn might be a master of disguise, but even he would have a hard time going incognito in his baby form, especially when there were only six other overly intelligent babies he could impersonate – Reborn himself, too well known for his loyalty to the Ninth to play at being a turncoat. There was Reborn's adult form of course – what with the somewhat breaking of the Arcobaleno curse – but the integrity of the disguise could have been compromised by him needing to revert back to his infant form, a lingering part of the curse that remained.

"About that," said Reborn, expression betraying nothing. "There's been a change of plans."

"Eh? Like what sort of change of plans?" asked Tsuna. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what he was going to hear next.

"I'm dropping the mission. Instead, I'll be escorting you on your trip to Italy."

Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose, "And since when did I decide to head to Italy?" Already half expecting Reborn to answer with straight-faced, 'Since I decided, silly Tsuna'. To think, Tsuna had once foolishly thought he would have escaped Reborn's tyrannical whim as soon as he became Tenth boss. Oh how wrong he had been.

However, the answer Tsuna got was not the one he expected. "Since the Ninth's health has taken the turn for the worst" replied Reborn, uncharacteristically solemn, eyes overshadowed by his fedora hat.

_What?_ Tsuna felt his mouth go dry, mind stuck on the thought, already jumping to conclusions. Surely, he couldn't mean...

"Tsuna's old uncle?" spoke up Yamamoto, smile still firmly in place but not quite matching his eyes. "What happened to him?"

Reborn's silence was answer enough.

The Rain Guardian turned to see how Tsuna was taking the news so far only to see him lost in thought. "Tsuna..." he placed a hand over his friend's shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile, breaking the other from his musings.

Placing his hand over the other's, Tsuna returned the smile with a weak of his own., appreciating the comfort, before shaking his head, "I'll be fine, Yamamoto." It wasn't like it hadn't crossed his mind before, what the once distant world of Ten Years Later would look like now that everything had changed, especially now that, that very year was closing in. Would the Arcabaleno still wind up dead by the end of the decade? Would Mukuro manage to get himself under lock and chains again? Would Yamamoto's father meet the same fate as he did in the other future? Was the world of Ten Years Later worth saving after all or was it still the ruins Byakuran had left behind during his rule?

Luckily by some miracle, they had managed to avert most of the major crisis of the once future. Reborn and all his fellow curse victims were alive. Mukuro still roamed free - for how long before he broke another of the mafia rules was any one's guess. Yamamoto-san had yet to retire from running his sushi bar. And Byakuran was happily allied with the Vongola and Giglio Nero Families.

Yet for all that had changed, much more had stayed the same. Yamamoto still ended up with a scar on his chin. Ryohei befriended Lussuria. The Student Council...remained the Student Council. Tsuna had become the Vongola Decimo despite all efforts to the contrary. And the Ninth who he hadn't been able to see in the future except as a spirit of the ring...the Ninth...

"How much longer does he have?" Tsuna asked looking towards Reborn, picking up his stride.

"I can't say."

Then they didn't have time to waste. "If you're nearby meet us at the airstrip in two hours."

Reborn tugged his hat further down to hide the smile that played upon his lips. "Yes, boss."

x X x

*Corpse Reviver cocktail: don't know much about alcoholic cocktails but I thought this one had a funny name. Also Tsuna being 17 is sorta part of the joke, the legal age of drinking in Japan is 20. Although I hear you can get alcohol pretty easily from vending machines there...

*yuko-datotsu: a point in a Kendo match. I'm assuming there is no point for hitting the upper arm, so just cock up Yamamoto's usage of the term as both his obsession with games and him not taking up formalized kendo. If there is then... guess Yamamoto's using the term correctly O.o?

If anyone spots some errors, something that sounds, off, etc feel free to point it out so I can go back and fix it.


End file.
